The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-28

tranSgreSSiOn, an eternity or forgiveness.
For crime deep as hell, an aJonement high
as heaven; that where sin abounded, so grace
may much more abound; that as sin reigned
unto death, even SO may grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus
Christ our Lord. Angel of the Covenant,
dip thy wing in this living fountain to-day,
and wave it over this solemn assemblage,
that our souls may be washed in "the water
of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the
gate"
Further, remark that this well Of the
Gospel is at the gate of comfort. Do you
know where David was when he uttered the
words of the text9 He was in the cave of
Adullam. That is where some of you are
now. Has the world always gone smoothly
with youl Has it never pursued you with
slanders Is your health always good! Have
your fortunes never perisheds Are your
children all alive and wela Is there one
dead lamb in the fold! Are you ignorant of
the way to the cemeteryl Have you ever
heard the bell toll when it seemed as if ev-
cry stroke of the iron clapper beat your
heart! Are the skies as bright when you
look into them as they used to be when
other eyes, now closed, used TO look into
thems Is there some trunk or drawer in
your house that you go to only on ami
versary days, when there comes beat
ing against your soul the surf of a great
ocean of agonya 1t is the cave of
Adullam! The cave of Adullaml Is there
some David here whose fatherly heart way
ward Absalom has broken9 Is there some
Abraham here who is lonely because Sarah
is dead in the family-plot of Machpelaha
After thirty or forty years Of companion
ship, how hard it was for them to part2
Why not have two seats in the Lords
chariot, so that both the old folks might
have gone up at once9 My aged mother,
in her last moment, said to my father,
Father, wouldn't it be nice if we could
both go together~ No, no, no. We must
part. And there are wounded hearts here
to-day, The world cannot comfort you.
What can it bring you? Nothing. Moth
ing. The salve they try to put on your
wounds will not stick. They cannot, with
their bungling surgery, mend the broken
bones.
Zoppar the Naamathite, and Bildad the
Shuhite, and Eliphaz the Temanite, come in,
and talk, and talk, and talk, but miserable
comforters are they all. They cannot pour
light into the cave of Adullam. They can
not bring a single draught of water from
''the well of Bethlehem, which is by the
gate" But glory be to Jesus Christ, there
is comfort at the gatel There is life in the
well at the gate. If you give me time |
will draw up a promise for every man,
woman and child in this house. Ay, will
do it in two minutes. | will lay hold the
rope of the old we'll What is your troubled
"Oh," you say, "Iamso sick, so weary of life
ailments after ailments | will draw up a
promise: 1.-The inhabitants shall never say
I am sick.'" What is your troubled 'Oh,
it is loss of friends-bereavemen you say.
] will draw you up promise, fresh and
cool, out of the we'll; ~ am the resurrection
and the life; he that beieveth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live" What
is your trouble2 You say it is the
infirmities of old ago. will draw you up a
promise: 'Down to old age L am with
thee to hoary hairs will / carry thee.n
What is your trouble? "Oh," you say, II
have widowed soul, and my children cry
for bread" bring up this promise; Leave
thy fatherless children. | will preserve
them alive, and let thy widows trust in Me-"
break through the armed ranks of your
sorrows to-day and bring to your parched
lips "a drink of the water of the well of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate"
Again, the Gospel we'll is at the cato of
heaven. / have not heard yet one single in
telligent account of the future world from
any body who does not believe in the Bible.
They throw such fog about the subject
that do not want to go to the skeptic's
heaven, to the transcendentalist's heaven,
to the worldly philosophers heaven. |
would not exchange the poorest room in
your house for the finest heaven that Hux-
ley, Stuart Mill, or Darwin, ever dreamed
of. Their heaven has no Christ in it; and a
heaven without Christ, though you could
sweep the whole universe into it, would be
hell Oh, Jhey tell us there are no songs
there; there are no coronations in heaven
that is all imagination. They tell us we
will do there about what we do here, only
on larger scale-geometrize with clearer
intellect, and with alpenstock go Chamber
ing up over the icebergs in an eternal vaca-
tion. Rather than that, turn to my Bible.
and find Johns picture Of that good land
that heaven which was your lullaby in
heaven which our children in
the Sabbath-school will sing about this az
ternoon-that heaven which has ''well at
the gate" 2
After you have been on long journey,
and you come in, all bedusted and tired to
your home, the first thing you want is re-
freshing ablution; and | am glad to know
that after we get through the pilgrimage of
this world-the hard, dusty pilgrimage-we
will find a well at the gate. In that one
wash away will go our sins and SORROWS. |
do not care whether cherub or seraph, or my
own departed friends in that blessed land
place to my lips the cup, the touch of that
cup will be life, will be heaven j was read
ing of how the ancients sought for the foun-
tain of perpetual youth. They thought if
they could only find and drink out of that
well, the old would become young again,
the sick would be cured, and everybody
would have eternal juvenescence. OF course
they could not find it, Eurekal l have
found It'll ''the water Of the well Of Bethle-
hem, which is by the gate"
] think we had better make a bargain
with those who leave us, going out of this
world from time TO time, as to where we
will meet them. Travellers parting appoint
a place of meeting. They say: 1--WE will
meet at Rome, or we will meet at Stock
holm, or Vienna, or Jerusalem, or Bethle-
hem" Now, when we come to stand by the
death-pillow of those who are leaving us
for the far land, do not let us weep as
though we would never see them again, but
let us, there standing, appoint place where
we will meet. Where shall it be. Shall it
be on the banks of tire river9 No. The
banks are too long. Shall it be in the tenn
plel No; no. There is suchl a host there
ten thousand times ten thousand Where
shall we meet our loved ones, Let us make
an appointment to meet at the well by the
gate Oh heavenl Sweet heavenl Dear
heavenl Heaven, where our good friends
arel Heaven, where Jesus isl Heavenl
Heavenl
But while I stand here there comes q re-
vulson of feeling when | look into your
eyes and know there are souls here dying of
thirst, Notwithstanding the well at the gate.
Between them and the well of heaven there
is great army of sin and though Christ is
ready to clear a way to that well for them,
they will not have his love or intercession
It..AV 4 ~ a